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5 ways Vermont State Police changing policies

Col. Matthew Birmingham of the Vermont State Police held a news conference in Williston on Monday, February 12, 2018, to explain the fatal shooting on Sunday of Ben Gregware.

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Col. Matthew Birmingham of the Vermont State Police, left, discusses Sunday's fatal shooting of Benjamin Gregware in Bolton during a news conference in Williston on Monday, February 12, 2018. Gregware was shot by a Vermont state trooper and a Richmond police officer after a car stop on I-89.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

Protection of the mental health of Vermont state troopers is an end goal of a slate of recently adopted policy changes.

A report recently made public by the agency reviewed and provided recommendations around policies for high-stress incidents, such as police involved shootings, that can "overwhelm an individual's usual coping mechanisms." Col. Matt Birmingham said all the recommendations are being implemented.

"These incidents include not only the use of lethal force but also cases involving the untimely death of a child, a homicide, a fatal motor vehicle crash, the exploitation of a child, or sexual or physical assault," a Vermont State Police news release states.

Birmingham ordered the report and a review of use-of-force policies in late January, several weeks after nine police officers fired on a man in Montpelier and several weeks before another police-involved shooting in Bolton. In both, the civilian involved was killed after members of the Vermont State Police and other agencies opened fire.

The Attorney General's Office said this week the Montpelier shooting was justified, but no decision has yet been announced on the Bolton incident.

Here are five key ways Vermont State Police's policies will change as a result:

An increase in the number of days of paid administrative leave for troopers involved in shootings.
Troopers will remain on leave for a minimum of five calendar days, during which they will meet with the department clinician and complete a formal interview for any pending investigation, according to the report. In critical incidents that do not involve the use of lethal force, the decision to place a trooper on administrative leave will be at the discretion of the division commander and the Vermont State Police Director.

Upon returning from leave, troopers will be placed on administrative duty.
The trooper will remain on administrative duty until the completion of the incident review by the Attorney General's Office and the county's prosecutor. The report states that this is not a disciplinary action and is meant to help get the trooper back to normal. The status also protects the trooper from being in a situation where he or she might need to use force again, according to the report.

The state police will establish a protocol to review special team membership for members involved in multiple shootings within a two-year period.
The report states that this applies to any special team but is most applicable to the Tactical Services Unit. The Tactical Services Unit is trained to respond to a variety of situations, such as those involving armed barricaded suspects, suicidal people, hostage situations, manhunts, and active shooter situations.

Current mental health and wellness practices will continue and be expanded.
Clinician contact with members involved with critical incidents will extend beyond the first month following the incident. The clinician will now conduct monthly check-ins for six months after the incident.

The agency will improve tracking and reporting of critical incidents.
The "Members Assistance Team," which provides support and resources for state police employees exposed to trauma or in need of help with health or personal problems, will now track officers who have been involved in critical incidents. An annual report will also be created showing data such as the number of members involved in critical incidents that year, the types of incidents experienced, the average number of days spent on administrative leave, the number of clinician referrals and any trends.

In addition, the Vermont State Police is also updating its use of force procedures, the agency announced this week. A nationally recognized expert on use of force by law enforcement, Steve Ijames, recommendations that the state police said it would implement. Among those recommendations are:

The state police will conduct a regional in-service training for all members in de-escalation and force mitigation;

The state police will research, train and acquire additional, less lethal capabilities for the Tactical Services Unit and the Field Force Unit, including items such as plastic ammunition, bean bag projectiles, long range chemical munitions and others;

All members of the Tactical Services Unit will be outfitted with body-worn cameras, and state police will pursue body-worn cameras for the Field Force Unit;

A camera will be installed on the Tactical Services Unit's armored car;

Ijames will conduct a one-day training with Tactical Services Unit members on use of force topics;

State police will review its current use-of-force policies and make changes as necessary.

The committee that reviewed of the state police's policies and procedures included Capt. James Whitcomb, the staff operations commander; Lt. David Petersen, the professional standards commander; Sarah Adams, the human resources director; Michael O'Neil, president of the Vermont Troopers Association; Lori Gurney, a Vermont State Police department clinician; and Maj. Ingrid Jonas, the Support Services Division commander.